training and weight gain

i don't really weigh myself anymore but i was feeling a little ... what's the word ... oh yes, phat, last weekend while trying on some things in my closet, so i decided on a whim to step on the scale this morning. it wasn't as bad as i was expecting, but i am not in my maintenance range anymore. i thought that i would lose weight with all of this marathon training but i was obviously mistaken.

i really have a love/hate relationship with the scale. i decided not to weigh myself anymore because it was causing too many highs and lows which is unhealthy. going up or down five pounds on any given week means nothing, so long as it's not five pounds up and then five more pounds up, etc. so i wasn't weighing myself. this was a relief in some ways, although in other ways it caused more stress. i think it made me imagine gains and loses that didn't exist and gave me a false perception of what i actually look like and how i feel. it's hard to explain. on one hand it's important to keep your weight in check but on the other hand, becoming obsessed is obviously not the mentality anyone should want or have.

so this brings me back to marathon training and weight gain. i looked online and this weight gain is very common.

here are some reasons why people gain weight while training:

1. you are building muscle, which is denser than fat: this is always a good thing. i love muscle.

2. your body is learning to store carbohydrates as fuel (glycogen) for your long runs. those glycogen stores will add more weight. your body also requires additional water to break down and store the glycogen, so that will also add extra weight: i didn't know that but it's interesting. although - i'm not doing that many long runs, and my long runs aren't THAT long since i'm only doing the 1/2 marathon and not the whole shabang.

3. you are maybe increasing your calorie intake without knowing it: this is possible. i'm pretty damn hungry on running days and especially the day after.

4. you may be drinking too many calories through sports drinks: um, not me. i've only had one gatorade in my whole life and it was "G2" only 30 calories per cup.

so i guess i'm just eating too much. oy vey. i did remark to my boyfriend that although i feel like i've gained weight, i also feel like i am the most "fit" i've ever been. that being said, i'll be happy when it's over and i can get back to my normal life.

what do you do? how often do you weigh yourself to keep your weight in check? every day? once per week? once per month? NEVER?

holiday

it's friday morning and i am sitting in my den. hooray! no work today! i woke up initially at 7:15 am, and went back to sleep until after 9. that's more than nine hours of sleep ... heaven. i made a coffee and drank it on my balcony, which was so sunny and warm. i didn't even need a jacket.

i had a great swim in the pool and it's only 11 am - that means i have the rest of the day to do whatever i want. i am going to rearrange my bedroom furniture. it's the one room of my apartment that is always so messy. hopefully a new set up will inspire me to keep it a little cleaner.

today is friday weigh in and i gained again! dammit. i gained 0.6 pounds since last week. combine that with the 0.4 i gained last week and i am up a whole pound. obviously i am doing something wrong ... but what? i wanted to lose 10 pounds and i've got 8.2 to go ... yip eee.

yesterday at the gym i just did strength training on my legs and abs. i did walking lunges (and could do three sets of 10 because i did them first), squats, deadlifts, leg press, and four kinds of crunches. i think i am going to stick with these exercises. my arms get a good enough workout through swimming and when i workout my whole body, i really get the shakes and feel like vomiting. that's not good.

tonight i am going to the keg mansion for some friend's birthdays. if you love the keg, you will really love the keg mansion. it's the same menu but in the restaurant is a beautiful old haunted house - really nice. this (the picture) is really how it looks. have a great easter weekend!

my new weight training routine

1) so yesterday, on wednesday, i went down to the gym at work and began my new weight training routine.

2) today i can't walk.

3) not joking.

4) my arms don't hurt at all, but that's because i swim all the time and use my arms for resistance. my legs however - i never work them at all.

5) i was going to do the routine again tomorrow, but since i'm having trouble sitting and standing, perhaps i should take it easy instead. maybe i'll go and do some cardio, and some arms, back and abs. hmmmmm.

so here's what I'm doing:

1) squats with weight (bum and quads)

2) deadlifts (quads, bum, hamstrings, lower back)

3) walking lunges with weight (upper leg, bum)

4) leg press (quads, hamstrings, bum)

5) chest press (pectoral chest muscles)

6) overhead press (shoulders)

7) cable row (back, forearms)

8) biceps curls (biceps)

9) triceps pushdown (triceps)

10) lat pulldown (back)

11) various ab exercises

That's about it - tomorrow morning is my weigh in day (which unfortunately I have to do) and I really don't feel any thinner. in fact, it might be the opposite ... even though i've been tracking and counting. actually i say that but now that i think about it i've been cutting corners ... like adding 1/4 cup of all bran to my oatmeal because it's 0 points ... that sort of thing. we'll see tomorrow.

short friday list

1) weigh in - down 2.8 pounds woohoo! now just 7.2 to go :)

2) i am LOVING my new job. the days go by so fast... i can't believe it

3) for once i didn't eat all the food i brought to work. i couldn't believe it. i just wasn't hungry for everything. i think it's my morning (noon) cottage cheese and berries snack. so filling with carbs and protein.

4) that's it!

a little stressed

sorry i didn't post yesterday. i am draining my own mental energy. here is the scoop going through my head right now.

i am in line for two jobs. both have good aspects and bad aspects. one pays more, but i think in my mind i've decided i'd prefer the other one. they are both in my field, but very different career paths. i had one interview for the job i'd prefer on wednesday, and i think they are deciding soon, because they said they wanted someone to start working by the end of next week. yesterday, i had the second interview for the other job and they are choosing between three candidates. they will let me know on monday for sure.

now, here is where my mental stress begins. what if i am offered both jobs? what if i am offered the job on monday and not offered the other job until it is too late to accept or not accept the first one? what if i am offered neither job!?!?!?! it could happen. after my interviews i was thinking gung ho, thinking i'd be offered both. but the more time passes, the more i am second guessing myself.

the rational side of my brain is telling me not to worry. i can't do anything about it until monday at the very earliest, unless something happens this afternoon. i hope it does. it would be the greatest holiday gift if i could start the new year with a new job.

anyway. today is friday weigh in and i am down another 2.4 from last week, which means i am very close to the bottom of my maintenance range, and the lowest number i've ever seen. i had a cookie to celebrate. it was free at the bank ;) now my holiday goal is just to stay within my range. i have some wiggle room and i'm ready to paaarrrrrtteeeeee! :)

i found some very exciting holiday treats on the kraft website. i am all about the least amount of ingredients and baking possible.

check it out:
chocolate clusters: my mom used to make these (except with no butter or peanut butter) and they are heavenly. the best of sweet and salty and crunchy too.
merry meringues: the cooking part is a bit time consuming, but easy and low calorie too. and i just looooooovvveeee meringues.
teddy s'more bark: if this isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen! so cute. not really christmasy, but who cares!
no bake holly cookies: amazing! and look how cute they are. i imagine they taste like rice crispy treats.

list it up friday

another list since i'm latey mcgoo AGAIN today:

1) friday is weigh in day and it's a christmas miracle because i am down 3.6 pounds this week. can you hear the angels singing hallelujah? i can! my hard work and diligence this week paid off and now i am blissfully back in the middle of my maintenance range. my goal now is to try and not gain (too much) on the weekend, so that i can maintain this loss next friday.

2) my hair looks fab (i got my roots done last night) and my boyfriend's show was great. i am the number one dancing groupie and i love it.

3) remember those purple, blue, and gray heels i bought on aldo online? well, i bought them in size 8, and then thought maybe they were too tight. so i exchanged them (in store) for a 9. but then they were too big, so i bought some cheap sole inserts to see if that would tighten things up, but they were still too large. so back i went to aldo and luckily they had size 8 and 10 left, and i exchanged them again. three exchanges. they must think my brain is made of flip flops. this time the salesgirl told me that they will stretch, not to worry. thank you! now is only i knew this multiple returns ago.

4)oliver my cat is so naughty. santa would cross him off the list for sure. he is chewing the bows on all my wrapped presents. little bugger. and then when i covered them all up with a towel, he pounces at it and creates an even bigger ruckus. there is nothing i can do! except not display the presents of course, but what fun it that. if i have to replace the bows at christmas time, that's fine with me - they were only $2 at walmart for a big bag of assorted ones.

where is the sun?

it's been forever since i've seen the sun. when i was a teenager i loved gray autumn days (emo), but now i want sunny vitamin E-filled days of warmth. not having sun for so long is depressing. and it's only november! did you know it's not even officially winter yet? we almost went right from summer to winter.

thanks for your gift suggestions yesterday. i'm still at a loss. my boyfriend's mom doesn't really like music, and they don't really sit down to watch dvds, and i could make them something, but it would have to be as a hostess gift, so i'd have to get something else anyway. last year i framed a picture of everyone in las vegas. i don't really have anything to match the "sentimentality" of that gift. it's too early to start fretting about anything yet. christmas is still almost a month away, and i am really close to being done my shopping.

today is friday, my weigh in day, and i stayed the same this week. i thought i would have dropped since i've been eating next to nothing for the past two days (being sick), but no. then again i haven't been exercising and i've mostly been eating carbs. my tastes have been all off and things (like raw veggies and hummus) that i normally crave make me feel like gagging.

the good news is: it's the weekend. almost. let us rejoice! and hope that i feel 80% better by tomorrow so i can go dancing. :)

too much wine

last night at book club i drank too much wine and now i am not feeling so fine. a short one today. i weighed in 0.8 higher than last week which is alright since i pretty much did no exercise at all this week. it's annoying because now i'm back out of my maintenance range, only slightly though.

today i am only working a short day, so i can probably squeeze in a swim or walk.
sometimes i am surprised by how quickly ww points can add up. for example, this morning i had a quaker maple weight control oatmeal (3) and yogurt (2), and brought to work another yogurt (2) and a clif kid z bar (2). i only have the bar left and when i eat that it puts me at 9 points which normally lasts until dinner. crazy but true, crazy but true. i am trying to avoid coffee today since it dehydrates. random!

yippity skippity!

hooray, it's friday! doesn't that make you happy? there is nothing quite like the good mood of a friday. happy happy joy joy. i'm so enthusiastic i'm beginning to sound sarcastic! but i'm not.

first things first, today is friday.... dreaded weigh in day. i am 0.4 higher than last week but that's ok for several reasons: 1) last weekend was halloween... candy... etc. enough said. 2) i was an exercise queen this week and i'm sure the scale will reflect that next week. and 3) i'm just going with the flow. it's not that bad. i am still less than two pounds over my maintenance range, which really is nothing but annoying that i haven't been able to get everything in check and then keep it there.

last night after i got home, i walked for four miles on the treadmill, and THEN swam for 40 minutes as well. i wasn't going to walk for so long, but i was absorbed in my book. swimming was hard after my grueling walk (ha) and it kind of felt like i was swimming uphill, but i stuck with it.

i decided to give my body a break and take this morning, and probably today, off from exercise. i will be back in the pool tomorrow, and i'm not going to take sunday off either. maybe a good schedule for me is four days on, one day off.

i'm wearing a new sweater today. it's from smart set - here is a picture:

have a great weekend everyone :)

friday update and rondom facts

the good news is it’s friday, i got my hair done yesterday and it looks awesome, i’m drinking a skinny cinnamon dolce latte from starbucks and i didn’t have to pay for it, and i lost 1.2 pounds this week (despite thanksgiving) putting me back into the very high end of my maintenance range.

isn’t that nice? the bad news is that i emailed a company i’ve has five yes FIVE interviews with and they informed me that they’ve hired someone else. this isn’t the same company as the interview i had earlier this week, by the way. but i’m really disappointed... what a bummer. i really thought they would offer me a job, too. :(

tonight i am going to a girl’s sleepover? isn’t that fun? although last time this happened some boyfriends came... lame! guys should not come to a girl’s sleepover. maybe they get some sort of thrill about raiding a girl party... i don’t know.

in other news, both fitting back in and vanessa tagged me to share some random facts about myself, so here we go:

1) i lived in leeds, england for ½ a year in university. i loved it there, although i was very homesick.
2) one of my very favourite movies is the secret garden.
3) i can’t eat whipped cream because it gives me horrible stomach pains and (shhh) gas.
4) yesterday i went to the library and randomly picked up a book on tape (cd). now i am obsessed with it. i put disc one onto my mp3 player and listened to it on the transit last night and this morning. and then this morning i listened to ½ of disc two on the way to the suburbs. the book is “light on snow” by anita shreve and it’s so good. it’s about a 12-year-old girl and her father who live in the middle of nowhere and find a newborn in the woods. the voice reading the book isn’t annoying at all. i was worried that it would be too slow, but it’s not.
5) this morning i saw a dead bird on the sidewalk, outside of my boyfriend’s apartment. it looked like it just fell out of the sky. it was on it’s back and it’s legs were sticking up rigor mortis-like. maybe it was an omen about not getting the job. and then my mom said there is a dead cat in the alley (beside the building).... weird!
6) this one will actually be about me. i like being very efficient with my time. this is probably why i hate driving... because i hate sitting in traffic. i don’t mind transit, because i can be reading and that’s a worthwhile thing to be doing. i like to get the most amount of things and stuff done in the shortest amount of trips.

happy weekend everyone. i’m going to resist the twizzler straws!

friday weigh in day

friday weigh-in day and this week i gained 0.4 pounds. not significant, but i was hoping for a loss. really, i was perfect all week which can only mean one thing – that last weekend was much MUCH worse than i thought it was. and looking back, i can see where i was fooling myself. my boyfriend and i have this funny but terrible habit of drinking our mixed drinks (at home) through rainbow twizzler straws. it’s just so yummy. really i have the pack of rainbow twizzlers sitting on my counter all week and never feel tempted to eat them... i just love drinking through them on weekends!

so anyway. that’s bad. i won’t do it this weekend. and i can recall an incident of eating too much post-going out last saturday night as well. not bad stuff. actually i have no idea.

in other news, today is friday and i couldn’t be happier. i am working a ½ day with my mom, then running some errands, and then i hope to clean the apartment, especially the bathroom before tonight. maybe i can even get some treadmill (walking) time in.

last night i did week 3 day 2 of the couch to 5k program. it was great – no pain or anything! maybe it’s gone for good... i don’t want to jinx anything. then i had a nice bath and my cat, oliver, jumped up on the side of the tub and sat there for the whole time.... at least 20 minutes. what a weirdo. the side of the tub isn’t wide, either. he kept touching the water with his paws and then jumping back at the ripples. weirdo!

tonight i am going dancing, tomorrow there is a party, sunday thanksgiving at my boyfriend’s parents house, and monday thanksgiving at my parent’s house. fun weekend.

this morning for breakfast i had 2 packs of quaker instant oatmeal with a ½ cup of all bran, 2 equal sweeteners and a splash of vanilla mixed in. it was deliciously carby and filling and i used gingerbread spice tea as water. happy thanksgiving everyone! :)

shifty spider

i have to wake up and go to the bathroom at 5:30am. i am very groggy. while i am, you know, going, my cat likes to come over and head butt me. anyHOO, i look over at the shower and there is a GINORMOUS spider on the wall. SO HUGE. i am not that wimpy when it comes to spiders but i have not seen a bit fat guy like this in my apartment yet (new building) and not while my pants (pajama shorts) are around my ankles. somehow, being surprised by a spider whilst in the nude is always worse than being clothed. it's like protection. so i am surprised, then turn to oliver (my cat) to ask him why he hasn't done anything about this monster, and when i look back, less than FIVE seconds later, the spider is gone. gone! but it was right there less than FIVE seconds ago, in the middle of the giant shower wall, which is white, and since the spider is black or dark gray or whatever colour it is, it stands out very well. i can't believe that the spider has disappeared. did it pull a houdini? where could it have gone? and then i think, if i were a spider, what would i do? this is pretty ridiculous and as i'm thinking this i'm also thinking that these thoughts are ridiculous. this is a side note but i always think it's ridiculous when people attribute human emotions to animals, like we really know how they are thinking and feeling based on a 'look' on their face. anyway, i think that if i were a spider i would hide behind a shampoo bottle. but which one? and note that the shampoo bottles are at least three feet down from the spiders original spot on the shower wall. and i have at least twelve shampoo/conditioner bottles. so i pick up the first one... apprehensively, and THERE HE IS! the little bugger! obviously i have ESP or a sixth sense or something. i just dunked the bottle in the toilet, flushed, and sent him to his watery grave. bye bye buddy.

that was too much excitement for me, and for my cat who thought that it would be fun to head butt me in bed for the next hour, so i couldn't get back to sleep. but i'm not tired. i chose not to work out this morning... maybe later.

today is friday weigh in and i am 3.6 pounds lighter than monday. remember monday was obscene though. my goal is to use my flex tonight and possibly tomorrow and then return to my regularly scheduled eating on sunday. i am still not in my maintenance zone but am sort of close. when i get there i am going to go down to the middle of it for some wiggle room. i want to be at the top of it at the end of the weekend, not over.

last night i wanted to run but couldn't (pain) so i walked on the treadmill for 40 minutes and did some sit-ups. i had another protein smoothie dinner. i might just do this during the weeknights when i am alone. really, that's only three nights. and while dinner is fun, this option is a) yummy b) enough points and light (not heavy in the stomach) c) no cleanup d) very fast to prepare... and e) filling and i wasn't hungry going to bed when i tried it this week.

this weekend is awesome. today i am working a half-day with my mom, then going to the new h & m outlet here in the burbs, maybe some shoe outlets too, then the walmart supercentre here in the burbs (everything downtown is tiny and crowded), and then... IKEA on my way home! huzzah! shopaholic is TCB (taking care of business). i am going to ikea to look at their wall art and i need more of those iron strips for curtains and drapes that make them shorter without sewing. happy weekend :)

so early

sorry for the lack of post yesterday. i went with my boyfriend to one of his schools to set up a classroom and it was a disaster. it was an empty room used for storage a.k.a. a dumping ground but we were there for hours and now it looks like a million dollars. i had a good swim around 10pm. it was weird to exercise so late but nice. the pool was empty which always makes me happy. although the water was soooo hot. it was like a bath. good for old people... not good for people swimming laps.

this morning i am up so early (i can't believe my eyes are open). i am going to the burbs to help my mom at work. she works for a real estate lawyer and the other clerk is on vacation and my sister usually works there too but is an actress with an audition. it is the end of the month and everyone is buying and selling today so i will write cheques and take them to be certified... stuff like that.

friday is weigh-in and i am 120.8 pounds. i secretly weighed in last week and was 120.6 pounds. so no real change from last week but above my maintenance range which is not cool. i am going to start the points counting again in september. yes, i could start now, but it's the weekend and august and it's not out of control yet or anything. besides, september to me always feels like a rebirth. a start to the new year. more so than january which is funny. it's back to school! :)

this weekend should be fun. tonight (after a giant nap of coursezzzzzzz) some friends of mine are having a party (i think in a pub) and then tomorrow my boyfriend is having a small housewarming party for his close friends. i feel like something is happening on monday too but i can't remember. happy weekend!

SF

first things first - today is friday, my weigh-in day, and i am 121.6 pounds. that is 2.6 less than tuesday, and probably not a "loss" but a better idea of how much i actually gained while on vacation. so really not that bad, although not good considering i can't really exercise. i am going to try swimming again this morning.

my doctor told me to take advil liquigels for the pain. but then my dad was going on and on about how tylenol is for pain and advil is an anti-inflammatory and that's not what i need at all. he has had sciatic pain before and says he knows what he's talking about. i don't know. i took advil my whole vacation and i was far from being pain-free. i just took some tylenol now and am hoping it will let me swim like a normal fish.

yesterday i went to see "the dark knight" with my boyfriend. he actually wants to see mama mia too, but only because he really loves abba. who doesn't? the dark knight was good - action packed, yada yada yada. batman's voice was really breathy and weird though. not the actual voice, but his choice of word timing. and there was too much he's a hero, you're a hero, i'm not a hero, it's you mumbo jumbo going on. and my boyfriend thought maggie gyllenhaal was the worst heroine ever. i like her, but i was more familiar with her from previous movies.

ok and now some vacation stuff:

we left toronto early sunday morning and arrived in SF pretty early (3 hours back) around 11:30 a.m. i had figured out how to take the transit from the airport to the city, and when we poked our heads out of the ground it was ghetto-central - the mission district. lots of homeless crackheads. someone tried to sell us an i-pod nano on the sly within the first five minutes. i realize not all of SF is like this - this is just the first impression.

also it's freezing! i was not expecting california to be so chilly. i knew it was not going to be hot like the south, but it was a bone-chilling, damp cold. we checked into our hotel which was alright but the smallest room i have ever been in (we had to stack our suitcases on top of each other on the floor because there was no room to put them side by side). we were really tired but didn't want to snooze the day away, so we got coffees at this nice place called "cafe trieste" and walked to haight and ashbury, a popular spot for hippies in the 60s.

SF is very, very hilly. normally this wouldn't bother me expect i was already limping and could hardly walk. i preferred to walk uphill because the hills were SO steep, walking downhill put too much pressure on my leg. do i sound like an old man yet? anyway, we saw a man with elf ears... yes, elf ears, and regular clothes, just walking down the street. and then this scene:

out of nowhere these people dressed like this were setting up a bubble wrap slide down the hill, rolling down it, and blowing bubbles at each other while they did it. hehehe. here i am laughing about it:

haight and ashbury was fun but uneventful. later that night (after a nap) we went looking for dinner and finally found a thai place that was open. it's surprising to me how early things closed. then we went to a bar called zeitgeist. i can't believe it's sunny in this photo. our drinks were soooo strong. we asked for two whiskey and diets and 1) they didn't have diet coke... 2) it didn't matter because our pint glasses were filled with 3/4 whiskey and 1/4 coke. it was the strongest drink of my life. i drank half of it and was really tipsy. that's about it for SF! (we went back there at the end of the trip, so i'll have more to say about it later.) happy weekend. :)

too funky

george michael was amazing. just amazing. he is still outstanding and it was a fantastic concert. it rivaled depeche mode for the best concert ever but now that i think of it was only slightly not as good. he played two sets, then three encores. i didn't get home until 12:30! he was very enamored with the toronto audience because we know how to cheer. whoohooooo george! i will be your father figure, put your tiny hand in mine...

so i didn't work out this morning because i was up late. but i did work out yesterday before the show. i am still avoiding pounding pavement because of my shin and it's beginning to feel like normal. i did 20 minutes biking, arm weights, 10 minutes elliptical, arm weights, 10 more elliptical, situps, and then i rode my bike to the library to return some books.

i only have to work a half-day, so maybe i'll do something active later or maybe i'll take a rest day and have an awesome run tomorrow.

today is friday, and weigh-in, and i weighed 119 which is a 0.8 loss since last week and within my range. hallelujah! i was a bit worried this week because i wasn't tracking too much and i wasn't running (although was doing other activities... but nothing is the same as running in my opinion).

this weekend is looking relaxing. tonight maybe the movies, tomorrow going dancing, and sunday looking at an apartment for my boyfriend. it is so hot today. i rode my bike to work and am really sticky. i love summer :o) have a nice weekend.

ps. i didn't take that picture of the concert. that wasn't even last night... i was way at the back haha.

short one

friday weigh in 119.8 only 0.2 down from last week which is a bit disappointing since i was really good food and exercise-wise this week. still it's good - i'm happy in general.

sorry for bumming everyone out yesterday about the pigs and crazy lady. for the record the slaughterhouse is not right next door or anything haha, just in the general vicinity. i can't smell anything from my apartment. also i talked to my mom about the crazy lady and she is also quite concerned. she said to give her $10 from her... that's nice. :o)

so today is a half-day of work, and then the cottage. i'm feeling a bit stressed actually because i haven't packed anything for the cottage yet, and i know it's only for one weekend so not a big deal, but packing and being ready on time really stresses me out. i am perpetually late. my biggest flaw haha. and before leaving i told my bf i'd look at an apartment with him that he is thinking of renting. so not much time to pack. i will make a list of things to pack and that will make me feel better.

last night i tried on my bathing suit and bikini and wasn't really that impressed. i know i look better than last year, but i'm too focused on my flaws. smaller boobs, stomach pooch, etc. this has got to stop. i am going to wear the damn bikini and not cover it up and get used to it. maybe wearing bikinis (with confidence... this is key) just takes practice, like wearing heels or anything else.

this morning i got up and did a half-assed workout at the gym. running on the treadmill "galloway" method which is running with walking mixed in. also some arm weights and situps. same old same old.

have a great weekend everyone. :o)

guess what?

it's friday! and not just any friday. the beginning of summer hours (which means i leave work at 1pm) and a four day weekend that starts tomorrow. can you believe that tuesday is the actual holiday and some people have to work on monday? i feel sorry for people who aren't allowed to take monday as a vacation day. suckers.

friday is weigh-in day and i am 118 pounds which is up 0.2 from last week which is nothing so a stay the same. congratulations to me. i feel good about it, although last night before bed i was a bit hungry and pushed it aside. yesterday i was talking to my bff who is also a long time weight watcher and i was saying that i never want to feel too full again. i hate hate HATE that feeling. she agreed. she said, she would rather feel ravenously hungry than too full and i agree.

this morning i ran 4 miles around town and i'm happy i did it (when it was over) but i probably should have taken a rest day. but i was already up (mental alarm) so why not put that time to good use? this afternoon i am going shopping. i have a bunch of things to return to h & m... also i need some sort of summer foot ware. i can't wear my keds every day. why not? because i am 27 not thirteen :) my feet are a little gross (from running, not from warts and other unsightly foot problems) but i don't care.

tomorrow morning i am heading to my hometown because my family is burying my uncle who passed away in february. my mom's side of the family is different in that we don't "do" funerals. we attend them of course, but don't have them for ourselves. what's the point? (don't answer that haha... rhetorical.) to each their own. anyway, we are burying his ashes with my grandparents so that's saturday. on tuesday i am going to a canada day bbq which should be fun... and yummy.

and for kicks, here is a friday five of things that make me happy today:

1) i through out the rest of the cake last night. i licked the icing once but i threw it out.

2) i love q-tipping after a shower. it feels really good!

3) that i woke up to a clean condo (it wasn't magic, i did it all last night)

4) berries (this morning was cherries, blackberries, and raspberries... except now i have none left.)

5) my cutie pie oliver :) yes he has blue nails. they are softpaws... for people who are against declawing but also against having scratched, ragged furniture.

you all make me laugh

yes, it's true. you all make me laugh? in a good way of course. but why? all the reasons/excuses why my pants could have felt tight. let's see:

1) maybe i am building muscles in my thighs.

2) perhaps i left my pants in the dryer and they shrunk.

3) swollen legs.

while these could be valid excuses in the land of wishville, i know it's not possible.

1) i have been running for almost a year and can't see muscles just sprouting up this week. and since i have only done two, yes a mere two HIIT sessions, that can't be it either.

2) i would NEVER even put these tighties in the dryer for one second!

3) this actually could be an excuse but i doubt it.

today i weighed in at 121.8. that is a gain of 2.6 pounds from last week. frickity crap mofo! but it's not necessary a bad thing. yes, i am out of my range, but it's good because i need to take a good look at what i'm eating. i am totally in control exercise-wise, but eating-wise... not so much. my portions have been increasing. a packet of oatmeal becomes a packet of oatmeal with flax, with all bran, with pumpkin, with wheat berries, with milk, with a banana. and while these things are all healthy, and adding one or two of these things is a great idea, adding them all and eating a giant beheamoth vat of oatmeal is not.

it's time to trim back the portions people! i can do it. i am not even in a bad mood about gaining. it's all about perspective :o)

in other news, this morning i did a quick 4-miles around my lovely city. and i have to say, even two sessions of HIIT is increasing my regular running speed. instead of a slower jog, i found myself with faster, longer strides this morning... it felt really good. when my alarm went off at 6:45am, i was resetting it for my boyfriend, and he rolled over and mumbled, "you are a real inspiration." hahaha - that is so funny to me.

in more boyfriend news, this sunday is our 1.5 yearaversary. last year for our six-monthaversary, i drew him a picture of a pin-up girl. he invited me to go to vegas with his family. even? i think so! ;o) anyhoo, i decided to carry on the tradition and draw him another pin-up. it's a ballerina because he likes them. i finished it last night and scanned it.

i think you can click on it to make it bigger. i've since signed and framed it. i think he will like it because i spent time on it, and it's from the heart. romance!

today on the menu is:

giant iced coffee

hot coffee
cinnamon oatmeal with flax
source yogurt

ezekiel english muffin
3 slices fake spicy meat
spinach and mustard
source yogurt
1/2 cup blackberries

banana
source yogurt
1 cup popcorn

dinner - ?

HUNGRY LIKE HIPPO

it would be a lie to say that i'm not feeling the effects of drinking too much wine last night. yikes. and right now i'm sooooo hungry - i think my stomach is eating itself. hungry like a hippo!


i was so close to going to tim horton's and getting a big chocolate chip muffin but instead i will get an iced cap with chocolate milk and eat my berry oatmeal with a peach instead. i'll save the debauchery for the weekend.

i'm feeling very incoherent today. ummmmm the movie was good although there were some parts i wasn't that impressed with. just too cheesy. but i still would recommend it to anyone. very cute.

today i'm taking a rest day from exercise. i still rode my bike to work so it's some activity. and it's such a nice day. it's going to be sooooooo hot. i love it. finally i love hot weather.

today i'm eating:

berry oatmeal with flax
chocolate milk iced cap
peach
banana
raspberries
yogurt
ezekiel english muffin with peanut butter
and a mystery dinner.

oh, weigh in 119.2 down 0.4 from last week.

i am woman, hear me blab

this post is going to be a bit random. yesterday i got some poopy news which is going to change my life a lot. i don't want to get into it yet but it really through me for a loop.

i ended up eating nothing but a sweet potato (a tiny one) for lunch, at about 4pm, and then dinner was 4 pieces of pizza from pizza pizza at 10:40pm. but really it's not so bad. yes, 4 is a lot of pizza pieces (tongue twister), but they were from a medium pizza and i checked online - it's only about 180-230 calories per slice (depending on toppings and stuff) so it was maybe 1000 calories tops, which probably means i didn't do any damage given how little i ate during the day yesterday.

i wasn't going to weigh-in this morning, but then i though, what the heck. and i was 119.6, up 0.6 from last week. pretty good considering i chomped that pizza down so late.

due to my poopy news, i woke up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep because my mind was racing and thinking and not letting me relax. i waited until 5:30am then went down to the gym. (that's when it opens... luckily it's in my building). i switched up my routine a little... here's what i did:

5 minutes walking
10 minutes running: changing speeds from 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9
then some arm free weights (for about 5 minutes)
10 minutes running: same as above
second set of arm free weights
10 minutes running: same as above
sit-ups (about 100 in various positions)
10 minutes running: same as above
5 minutes walking cool down
stretching

i liked this because it was entertaining. now that i have a hrm, i am very much focused on keeping my heart rate up for a longer period of time. i could have ran for 40 minutes straight and then done the weights and sit-ups, but then i only would have been in my target zone for the running minutes, and not the weights minutes. see what i mean? the whole workout burned 400 calories. and my bum pain is very minimal. i thought i should mention it haha. it really hurt though earlier this week (on wednesday)... i couldn't even walk! i was a limpy laura and it was painful. good thing i rested yesterday.

i wonder if my insomnia last night also had something to do with me not exercising. usually i have no problems in the sleep department. while i was running today, i was thinking about how much i love exercising. when i hear people complaining about it, i just want to put my arm around their shoulder and say "hang in there, pal, you'll love it eventually." do you think i would actually use the word "pal?" who knows! my 10-minute runs this morning were so easy! in my head i was thinking "la la la, running running do da day"... i'm not even joking.

tonight i am going to a stagette party. well, part of one. the girls are going out for dinner and then out to a club. i am going for the dinner part only. it's not really my kind of restaurant... all seafoody and expensive. what would you order? tomorrow my boyfriend and i are going bathing suit shopping. i also want to hit up shoppers drug mart because it's an extra rewards weekend. i have 40,000 points and i'm not afraid to use them. it's also my boyfriend's brother's birthday and he is having a party. partytastic!

today on the menu is:

a few bites of scrambled eggs
an apple
a fat free vanilla yogurt

berry medley oatmeal
with 1/2 pack regular
1/2 cup all bran
2 T pumpkin
1 T flax

berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries

gardenburger with lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat pita (yesterday's lunch)

dinner out :) i hope you all have a nice weekend.